Milan concerts review and...a US tour?? - article from "La Stampa", 16 Sept. 1984
Mar 13, 2022 9:00:26 GMT
leo82br, Chopin1995, and 2 more like this
Post by fabiogminero on Mar 13, 2022 9:00:26 GMT
Hi.
This is avery nice review of the two Milan concerts, written by journalist Marzio Fabbri and published on the Italian newspaper La Stampa on September 16th, 1984. The title of the article is Dio salvi i Queen. E' rock di classe (translated as God Save Queen. It's classy rock): the journalist praises the two performances held at the Palazzetto dello Sport in the previous two days and praises also Queen for their skills, despite the numerous empty seats inside the arena.
Fabbri also gives some details on Queen's current tour: he writes that the European tour consists of 14 concerts (in reality the shows were in total 23) and that in the following months, the band will be involved in a Japanese leg and one in the United States. The South African concerts of October 1984 and New Zealand and Australia shows of April 1985 are not even mentioned.
Have they not yet been organized? But above all, why did the Italian press talk about a US leg? I believe this is either an incorrect source or a mistake in reporting the news, as Queen had already decided to cut North America off their tours.
Below are the article and the scan of the same; I have highlighted in bold the part about the American tour. Enjoy the reading!
The two concerts at Palasport in Milan
God Save Queen
It's classy rock
MILAN - A great show, the one offered at the Palasport by Queen in the concerts on Friday and yesterday. But there were not very many, about seven thousand, who believed it. So there were several empty seats on the steps. As for the crowd, someone like Vasco Rossi doubles these great sound professionals abundantly.
A proto-industrial scenography looms over the stage, complete with enormous rotating gears; impossible to count the lights, certainly more than 600. The seven thousand people already know everything about what awaits them. There are countless imitators of Freddie Mercury's macho look; two, nervous under an arch, wait for the concert to begin: a shame about the belly, but the undershirts and studs are perfect.
The stage mechanism starts moving and is immediately delirious: from the parterre the crowd rushes towards the stage, crushes itself on the barriers. From that moment until the end, an hour and a half later, it's a continuous waving of arms, a waving of scarves printed with the ensemble's emblem. We sing, and if we don't dance it is because there is no space.
Freddie is leader at all times and the redundant sounds typical of the "old" English ensemble are the preparation and consequence of his voice. But not only of the voice, of the whole body that flickers athletic and then suddenly stops with the fixity of a statue.
Violently he grab the microphone, mimic objects and situations, bewitching spectators with the gestures and strength of a star of the golden age. The water from the glass, and even the glass, thrown into the audience, are welcomed as a gift and so is the towel which will now probably be kept as a fetish. Mercury then goes to touch the outstretched hands.
Two or three times the "effects" arrive: smoke, bursts of light and firecrackers; but to a certain extent, always justified by the current situation and welcomed with enthusiasm.
When it's the turn of the hit "Radio Ga Ga" the additional sounds are from the space bombing of the videogames, at least 50 candid spotlights stand behind the group and blind the audience making Freddie glimpse shirtless with suggestions from "Close Encounters".
But Queen are savvy and know that everything is expected of them. Then they shoot hard rockers that Little Richard would have signed, always taking care to keep the scene. The crowd follows, participates, feels as the main character; Freddie, on Brian May's lead guitar, manages to make the audience sing perfectly, music in tune and words by heart. He is enthusiastic, "beautiful" he exclaims, it is a moment of true suggestion.
However, if the discerning spectator goes to hear an old live recording of the same "Love Of My Life" he discovers that six years ago everything was already the same, including the leader's final exclamation. Does it mean poor sensitivity? Rather great professionalism which is the first characteristic of Queen.
Finally, after a cross-dressing with Freddie's big fake breasts, the classic "We Are The Champions" arrives and the feeling is that these Queens are telling the truth, they really remain champions. And then, a must, the closing with "God Save The Queen".
After the concert a few jokes. Two years without performances reveal that touring is still a lot of fun, but how much effort. The tour includes 14 performances in Europe and then Japan and the United States; the path is a bit shortened compared to the program because Freddie has to curate his upcoming single LP; as Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor have already done.
This is not because they don't go well together, far from it, but because they also have fun like this. The next album (after the last "The Works" - already gold and platinum in several countries) will not arrive until autumn next year.
This is avery nice review of the two Milan concerts, written by journalist Marzio Fabbri and published on the Italian newspaper La Stampa on September 16th, 1984. The title of the article is Dio salvi i Queen. E' rock di classe (translated as God Save Queen. It's classy rock): the journalist praises the two performances held at the Palazzetto dello Sport in the previous two days and praises also Queen for their skills, despite the numerous empty seats inside the arena.
Fabbri also gives some details on Queen's current tour: he writes that the European tour consists of 14 concerts (in reality the shows were in total 23) and that in the following months, the band will be involved in a Japanese leg and one in the United States. The South African concerts of October 1984 and New Zealand and Australia shows of April 1985 are not even mentioned.
Have they not yet been organized? But above all, why did the Italian press talk about a US leg? I believe this is either an incorrect source or a mistake in reporting the news, as Queen had already decided to cut North America off their tours.
Below are the article and the scan of the same; I have highlighted in bold the part about the American tour. Enjoy the reading!
The two concerts at Palasport in Milan
God Save Queen
It's classy rock
MILAN - A great show, the one offered at the Palasport by Queen in the concerts on Friday and yesterday. But there were not very many, about seven thousand, who believed it. So there were several empty seats on the steps. As for the crowd, someone like Vasco Rossi doubles these great sound professionals abundantly.
A proto-industrial scenography looms over the stage, complete with enormous rotating gears; impossible to count the lights, certainly more than 600. The seven thousand people already know everything about what awaits them. There are countless imitators of Freddie Mercury's macho look; two, nervous under an arch, wait for the concert to begin: a shame about the belly, but the undershirts and studs are perfect.
The stage mechanism starts moving and is immediately delirious: from the parterre the crowd rushes towards the stage, crushes itself on the barriers. From that moment until the end, an hour and a half later, it's a continuous waving of arms, a waving of scarves printed with the ensemble's emblem. We sing, and if we don't dance it is because there is no space.
Freddie is leader at all times and the redundant sounds typical of the "old" English ensemble are the preparation and consequence of his voice. But not only of the voice, of the whole body that flickers athletic and then suddenly stops with the fixity of a statue.
Violently he grab the microphone, mimic objects and situations, bewitching spectators with the gestures and strength of a star of the golden age. The water from the glass, and even the glass, thrown into the audience, are welcomed as a gift and so is the towel which will now probably be kept as a fetish. Mercury then goes to touch the outstretched hands.
Two or three times the "effects" arrive: smoke, bursts of light and firecrackers; but to a certain extent, always justified by the current situation and welcomed with enthusiasm.
When it's the turn of the hit "Radio Ga Ga" the additional sounds are from the space bombing of the videogames, at least 50 candid spotlights stand behind the group and blind the audience making Freddie glimpse shirtless with suggestions from "Close Encounters".
But Queen are savvy and know that everything is expected of them. Then they shoot hard rockers that Little Richard would have signed, always taking care to keep the scene. The crowd follows, participates, feels as the main character; Freddie, on Brian May's lead guitar, manages to make the audience sing perfectly, music in tune and words by heart. He is enthusiastic, "beautiful" he exclaims, it is a moment of true suggestion.
However, if the discerning spectator goes to hear an old live recording of the same "Love Of My Life" he discovers that six years ago everything was already the same, including the leader's final exclamation. Does it mean poor sensitivity? Rather great professionalism which is the first characteristic of Queen.
Finally, after a cross-dressing with Freddie's big fake breasts, the classic "We Are The Champions" arrives and the feeling is that these Queens are telling the truth, they really remain champions. And then, a must, the closing with "God Save The Queen".
After the concert a few jokes. Two years without performances reveal that touring is still a lot of fun, but how much effort. The tour includes 14 performances in Europe and then Japan and the United States; the path is a bit shortened compared to the program because Freddie has to curate his upcoming single LP; as Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor have already done.
This is not because they don't go well together, far from it, but because they also have fun like this. The next album (after the last "The Works" - already gold and platinum in several countries) will not arrive until autumn next year.